Abstract
The severe restrictions on public life in many countries following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic specifically affected Holocaust memorials and museums in all parts of the world, especially in Europe and in Israel. These measures posed a significant challenge, because contemporary forms of Holocaust commemoration are particularly based on the personal experience of presence at museums and historical sites. In contrast to the experience of distancing in face of the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing the presence of the past is thus a crucial element of contemporary Holocaust commemoration. This article explores the relationship between presence and absence, proximity and distance, guided commemoration and online engagement by critically analyzing digital activities of Holocaust memorials and museums in response to the pandemic. It argues that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holocaust memorials began experimenting with the potential of social media for Holocaust memory. These experiments finally accepted the ongoing generational change and reacted to significant previous shifts in media consumption that were already affecting Holocaust commemoration.
Highlights
The severe restrictions on public life in many countries following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic affected Holocaust memorials and museums in all parts of the world, especially in Europe and in Israel
The severe restrictions on public life in many countries following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic affected cultural institutions such as theaters, cinemas, and museums
Yad Vashem prerecorded the annual Yom HaShoah ceremony and broadcasted it on national television, YouTube, and on Facebook. Memorial sites such as Flossenbürg in Bavaria uploaded video speeches from survivors, politicians, and others to their website. These measures posed a significant challenge, especially because contemporary forms of Holocaust commemoration are based on the personal experience of presence at museums and historical sites
Summary
The severe restrictions on public life in many countries following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic affected Holocaust memorials and museums in all parts of the world, especially in Europe and in Israel. COVID-19 challenged the traditional forms of commemorating and mediating the Holocaust through museums, historical sites, and personal encounters with witnesses, as well as earlier transitions toward complex site-based digital technology such as survivor holograms.
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